Digestion
This digestive structure is often enlarged in herbivores and helps them break down tough plant material.
What is a cecum?
These teeth are broad and flat because they are adapted for crushing and grinding plant material.
What are molars?
This macromolecule is the body's major source of QUICK energy and is common in foods like pasta and potatoes.
What is a carbohydrate?
A runner eats a carbohydrate-rich meal before a race. During the race, those carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. What is the main reason the runner's cells need the glucose?
What is to produce quick energy/ATP?
This term describes a trait that helps an organism survive or function in its environment.
What is an adaptation?
Herbivores generally need a longer digestive tract because this material in plants is difficult to break down.
What is cellulose?
Eyes located towards the sides and top of the skull providing a wider field of view (peripheral vision), are an adaptation commonly belonging to this species/role?
What is a herbivore/prey?
These are the monomers that join together to form proteins.
What is amino acids?
A cow eats grass containing cellulose. The grass contains energy, but the cow cannot access that energy until this happens.
What is the cellulose must be broken down into smaller/simple molecules?
This element has 4 valence electrons, allowing it to form many different stable structures.
What is carbon?
An animal has a short digestive tract and a very small cecum. These adaptations suggest its digestive system is designed primary for this species diet.
What is a carnivore/omnivore?
An animal has sharp canines, forward facing eyes, and pointed teeth. What is the species diet and give two traits that support your answer.
What is a carnivore?
1. What are sharp pointy teeth?
2. What are forward facing eyes?
3. What are canines?
An animal needs to store energy for a long period while food is scarce. Which macromolecule would be most useful and why?
What are lipids because they provide long term energy storage?
A recovering coyote is eating enough carbohydrates and fats but is struggling to rebuild damaged muscle. Which macromolecule should be increased in its diet and what building block does it provide?
What are proteins and amino acids?
A single building block is called a monomer. When many of these building blocks bind together, they form this larger molecule.
What is a polymer?
An animal eats mostly grasses and leaves. Predict two digestive adaptations that would help the species obtain nutrients from the diet.
1. What is a large cecum?
2. What is a long complex digestive tract?
3. What is multi-chamber stomachs?
4. What is longer thicker intestines?
An unknown skull has both pointed canines and flatter grinding molars. What feeding niche would these combines traits best support and why?
What is an omnivore, because it has adaptations for processing meat and plant material?
During an enzyme reaction, what enters the active site and is changed and what are the molecules that leave the enzyme after the reaction?
1. What is substrate?
2. What is products?
Scientists discover a desert animal that eats mostly tough plants. It has broad, flat teeth but cannot efficiently break down cellulose. What digestive adaptation would most improve its ability to obtain nutrients from its diet?
What is a large cecum / specialized digestive system containing microorganisms that help break down cellulose?
Amino acids are joined together to make a protein. Is this reaction anabolic or catabolic and why?
What is anabolic because smaller molecules are being joined together to build a larger molecule?
Scientists discover an animal with a large cecum BUT a relatively simple stomach. Explain why ONE DIGESTIVE TRAIT ALONE may not be enough to determine its diet.
Because multiple adaptations/evidence should be considered together. If the digestive tract is not enough to predict look at other adaptive features.
Ex. Length of intestines
A skull has broad grinding molars, no large canines, a strong lower jaw, and eyes positioned on the sides. Predict its feeding niche AND the likely trophic level.
What is a herbivore and primary consumer?
An athlete eats bread before running a marathon AND chicken afterwards. Explain the different biological purpose of each food choice (aka why those foods).
What are carbohydrates for readily available energy and proteins for growth and tissue repair?
Scientists discover an unknown animal with: forward-facing eyes, sharp canines, a relatively short digestive tract, and a small cecum. Using at least two pieces of evidence, predict what the animal most likely eats.
What is primarily animals/meat because its sharp canines help capture prey and its short digestive tract/small cecum is better suited for foods that do not contain large amounts of plants/cellulose?
During cellular respiration, glucose is broken into smaller products and energy is released. Identify the reaction type and explain.
What is catabolic reaction because a larger molecule is being broken down and energy is being released?